Before she even knew what happened, a feral growl scared Dusk out of the room. It startled Evvy too, and she dropped her pipe, which clattered out in front of her on the wood floor. Bending down slowly, cautiously to pick it up, she looked at both of them apologetically.

"My bad..." she said quietly, "Shoulda knocked..."

Pipe reclaimed, she silently backed up, all the while facing them with her hands up in a gesture of apology. She reached over and grabbed the door handle, and slowly swung it closed, stopping at the last moment to say a few more words.

"Thanks for saving me," she nodded towards the man with a smile, then looked to the woman with the wings, raising an eyebrow, "And you two make a cute couple."

And with that, she latched the door behind her, shooting a scolding glare at Dusk for being such a mischievous caracal. "No kitty treats for you, mister." she hissed.

Nearby she noticed the Venator who'd been there when she woke up. He seemed concerned about what he'd obviously overheard. She crept to him, trying not to creak the floorboards.

"I think I interrupted a tender moment," the elf shrugged, "I don't think they took it well..."

She stuck out a hand for him to shake if he wanted, and said, "My name's Evvy. Nice to meet you."

Caiden was thankful the elf hadn't yet paid attention to him when he felt Percula's tiny wings brushing the inside of his stomach, which somehow managed to tickle him awfully. He snorted, one hand shooting to his midsection. But he managed to choke back any more laughter after a second or two.

Meanwhile, Evvy said to Drake and Cae, "My bad..." she said quietly, "Shoulda knocked..."

Drake didn't answer while the elf retrieved her fallen pipe. Admittedly, he felt a little bad for having growled, particularly since he did it without thinking. Just the principle of him doing something like that so reflexively bothered him as well.

Before leaving, the elf said, "Thanks for saving me," she nodded towards Tom with a smile, then looked to the woman with the wings, raising an eyebrow, "And you two make a cute couple."

"You're welcome," Drake murmured quietly, though he did mean it, right before she shut the door. Drake returned his gaze to Cae and breathed, "Well... that was different."

---

With the door shut again, Evvy turned and approached Caiden instead: "I think I interrupted a tender moment," the elf shrugged, "I don't think they took it well..."

"Who, Tom?" Caiden asked with a short laugh. "Yeah, I don't imagine he did. I'm just glad it wasn't worse." He wondered just who Drake was with, but he didn't ask - not yet, anyway. He considered it but thought better of it - he'd just have to double-check and make sure Plexaura was still on the main deck...

She stuck out a hand for him to shake if he wanted, and said, "My name's Evvy. Nice to meet you."

At least she was acting like a person now.

Caiden took her hand and gave it a firm shake, answering, "Caiden Voros, Venator. Glad you're feeling better."

Percula paused when she heard Caiden snort, for no apparent reason. “Are you okay…?”

Before he could reply, though, the pixie heard the elf speak. "I think I interrupted a tender moment. I don't think they took it well..."

"Who, Tom?" Caiden asked with a short laugh. "Yeah, I don't imagine he did. I'm just glad it wasn't worse."

Percula’s eyes narrowed. Why was it that every time she ended up in someone’s stomach, a girl came up to the person that she was stuck inside? At least they weren’t flirting. Yet.

"My name's Evvy. Nice to meet you."

"Caiden Voros, Venator. Glad you're feeling better."

That was getting dangerously close, though, in Saffron’s book. The pixie got to her feet, turning to face the direction she was pretty sure was Caiden’s front. Every wall looked the same from here, though, and for all she knew ‘Evvy’ was beside her carrier, or something. At any rate, Percula faced the direction Evvy’s voice was coming from.

“And I’m Percula!” She called out, starting to sound grumpy. So shove off before you go stealing my human!

"Much better." she assured him with a slight grin, though her voice was mostly flat still, "And sorry for being so vague and creepy before... I sometimes get like that when I wake up from a deep sleep."

She checked that they were alone, and was about to continue by offering him help working through his problems, when a small voice came from nowhere.

“And I’m Percula!” it said. The voice was feminine, and it sounded familiar. Evvy took a moment to realize it was coming from inside the man.

"Wait, was that..." she raised an eyebrow, and stared at Caiden's stomach, "Was that the pixie? Is... Is she inside you?"

Her eyes flashed back up to lock with his, her expression shifting from one of momentary concern to that of mild bemusement.

Caiden was almost thankful for the interruption when Percula asked, “Are you okay…?” The concern was touching, in a way, but in all seriousness - should he actually tell her just how much her wings tickled? At least, he only imagined it could be her wings. She was still a pixie, after all. She'd probably just... start tickling him to death. He couldn't actually think of anything more embarrassing right now.

"Much better." she assured him with a slight grin, though her voice was mostly flat still, "And sorry for being so vague and creepy before... I sometimes get like that when I wake up from a deep sleep."

"It's alright," Caiden said, though he sounded a tad reluctant to do so. "It was just strange to have someone know all those things."

And then, in a somewhat grouchy tone, a rather muffled - at least, to Evvy - Percula suddenly called out, “And I’m Percula!”

The Venator took it very well, all things considered. He didn't even flinch or fidget - though he did feel his face turn a little warm. Still, he crossed his huge arms and stood there as stoic as ever, looking like everything was perfectly normal. How the hell did Tom deal with this?

"Wait, was that..." the elf said as she raised an eyebrow, and stared at Caiden's stomach, "Was that the pixie? Is... Is she inside you?"

Her eyes flashed back up to lock with his, and Caiden simply said in almost emotionless confirmation, "That's right."

"Well, how'd she get in there? Was it...consensual?"

"Yeah, it was," the Venator replied. "She's not injured. As for how she got in there, it's probably the same thing you're imagining."

Caiden would've expanded on that a little, but he thought better of it. If this elf was some kind of seer, he had no idea how her powers worked, but maybe she was reading their minds right now, anyway. Then again, perhaps not, since she had to ask about Percula... Ugh, gods only knew how she'd sensed what she said about them before. Whatever the case, he was struggling not to feel self-conscious around her.

"Wait, was that..." Evvy sounded suitably surprised, and Percula grinned. "Was that the pixie? Is... Is she inside you?"

"That's right." Caiden replied. The pixie stifled a giggle at his stoic tone.

"Well, how'd she get in there? Was it...consensual?"

Aw, that’s it? Percula thought, he mood falling. No panicked attempts to get me out or something?

"Yeah, it was," the Venator replied. "She's not injured. As for how she got in there, it's probably the same thing you're imagining."

Saffron made a face, pacing around inside of Caiden’s gut. “Yeah, I teleported in here with magic.” She called out, sarcastically. “He definitely didn’t swallow me whole, or anything…” That… makes it sound way worse than it really is. She decided, mentally.

"Yeah, it was," the Venator replied. "She's not injured. As for how she got in there, it's probably the same thing you're imagining."

Evvy could imagine quite a few ways...

“Yeah, I teleported in here with magic.” the muffled sarcastic voice from inside him came. “He definitely didn’t swallow me whole, or anything…”

"Hey, I don't judge," the elf replied, "If it makes you happy, go for it. Probably better for the both of you, really..."

It actually was, she knew. Inside Caiden, Percula would be out of the way, and not up to as much mischief as she was capable of causing. Meanwhile, the Venator would have to at least wait until she was out before sating the addiction she was certain he was fighting. A win-win for combating both their major problems. Evvy smiled to herself at the thought.

"Now, uh, is there someplace to get something to eat on this boat?" she asked, her own stomach growling loudly, "I feel like I haven't eaten in days... And that's probably true..."

Caiden shifted his weight between his feet briefly at feeling Percula pace around. “Yeah, I teleported in here with magic.” She called out, sarcastically. “He definitely didn’t swallow me whole, or anything…”

"Hey, I don't judge," the elf replied, "If it makes you happy, go for it. Probably better for the both of you, really..."

That... was a weird way to put it.

"Now, uh, is there someplace to get something to eat on this boat?" she asked, her own stomach growling loudly, "I feel like I haven't eaten in days... And that's probably true..."

"From what Tom told me of this ship, the pirates keep most of the food in the forecastle. I'm sure you could find something in there." He kept his arms crossed and paused a moment before adding, "Or, if you prefer, I have some food of my own. It's mostly jerky and dried berries from the woods Tom and I were in before we got here."

"From what Tom told me of this ship, the pirates keep most of the food in the forecastle. I'm sure you could find something in there." He kept his arms crossed and paused a moment before adding, "Or, if you prefer, I have some food of my own. It's mostly jerky and dried berries from the woods Tom and I were in before we got here."

Her tummy grumbled again at the mention of the tasty sounding foods.

"Wow, that is so nice of you to offer," she said, flashing another small smile, "Perhaps I'll come nibble on some of your stuff before venturing above decks, if you'll have me. Besides, it'll give me a chance to better get to know you."

She looked down at his stomach again, and said a little louder "And you too, Percula. You seem like a fascinating individual."

Evvy held out her hand for Caiden to lead the way.

At the same time, Dusk had gotten over being shaken by Tom, and seeing a new seemingly friendly person, was attempting to get some attention by rubbing against Caiden's leg.

While Marcus stood there cleaning the ballista, he heard footsteps approaching from behind. Looking up, he saw Elektra standing there watching him, one eyebrow lifted.

"The mighty Marcus Capulet stooping to clean a pirate ship," she remarked with a smirk. "I certainly won't complain."

The Inquisitor's head snapped in her direction, wearing an expression like a child caught with his finger in a pie. He had just finished oiling the trigger mechanism to ward off any further rust, but he was glad that he was not working underneath the weapon. His head did not need any more bumps, pleasant as this surprise was.

With a laugh, she corrected, "Oh, I'm sorry. Privateer ship. If I recall, you're someone who'd be picky about those details."

Marcus simply gave a sheepish half-smile, allowing the alluring woman to continue. He had found it was harder to make a fool of himself when he listened before speaking. It usually worked...usually. Focusing his gaze on her face helped, too, though Elektra's...colorful...garb made that a daunting task. Ye gods, she was beautiful.

She stayed right where she was, resting one of her hands on a hip. "I remember you from Illikon. You were there when we did all that insane running about trying to catch Tom." Her expression darkened some. "Tom isn't the only one who appreciates no one revealing what he was. I... actually knew before he did. I didn't know how to break it to him."

Marcus nodded solemnly, clasping his hands behind his back out of instinct. "I...saw him transforming the night before we told him. Just watching it was torturous, but for him to live through almost every night, completely unaware..." The Inquisitor's voice trailed off in quiet horror, but he quickly composed himself. "I may not have known him as long as you have, but if anyone deserves...or even has a chance to break such a curse, I'd say he would."

Elektra sighed, her gaze wandering, "Anyway," she gave a beautiful, if rather wry, smile, "how's the Inquisiting?"

The Inquisitor relaxed his posture slightly and grinned in return, "Well, I've resorted to cleaning weapons that aren't mine, so you can tell that I have more time on my hands than usual." He allowed a self-deprecating chuckle before continuing, "I know little of sailing, but since you and the Captain were gracious enough to take us onboard, I figured I'd best make myself useful." He patted the ballista affectionately, like it was the child of a friend. "It's no secret that the Inquisition uses weapons like these to defend the Karak and our own ships. Gods know I've worked on them enough, I could probably figure out how to build one if I knew more about carpentry."

He frowned when he realized that he was beginning to ramble, then admitted, "Apologies if I'm boring you. With the shocking revelations and secrets we've all been burdened with, I needed to...fall back to familiar ground. Until I can return to my sworn duties, this weapon offered the next best thing."

"Hey, I don't judge," the elf replied, "If it makes you happy, go for it. Probably better for the both of you, really..."

Percula grit her teeth. Evvy was starting to get on her nerves.

"Now, uh, is there someplace to get something to eat on this boat?" she asked, her own stomach growling loudly enough for the pixie to hear it, "I feel like I haven't eaten in days... And that's probably true..."

Don’t you dare, don’t you dare, don’t you dare...

"From what Tom told me of this ship, the pirates keep most of the food in the forecastle. I'm sure you could find something in there." He paused a moment before adding, "Or, if you prefer, I have some food of my own. It's mostly jerky and dried berries from the woods Tom and I were in before we got here."

He dared.

The pixie’s fists clenched as she tried to let out her steam in a less violent way than before, but icy cold leaked out of her like a block of dried ice. For whatever reason, though, Saffron found herself struggling to control it. Why? For Caiden’s sake? Really? The big… big… cheat?! Percula though, a little growl beginning in her throat. Why I oughta…

"Wow, that is so nice of you to offer. Perhaps I'll come nibble on some of your stuff before venturing above decks, if you'll have me. Besides, it'll give me a chance to better get to know you."

Percula ended up freezing herself as she failed to contain her magic, but for reasons that still baffled herself, tried not to blast Caiden with the full force of her arcane energy. She gulped, watching the frost spread across her body despite all logic, given the fairly prevalent heat in the monster hunter’s gut, before Evvy spoke again.

“And you too, Percula. You seem like a fascinating individual."

The pixie froze. Not literally, thankfully, but she blinked at the source of Evvy’s voice. Without her concentration on her magic, the naturally humidity and heat of her surroundings slowly melted the ice, so she could stumble over towards the closest wall to the elf. She re-played what Evvy had said in her head, making sure she heard it right.

"Wow, that is so nice of you to offer," she said, flashing another small smile, "Perhaps I'll come nibble on some of your stuff before venturing above decks, if you'll have me. Besides, it'll give me a chance to better get to know you."

The Venator was halfway distracted, and he just nodded. He felt something strange in his stomach, even more so than usual. It felt... cold. A shiver ran up his spine.

Caiden then paused in mild surprise when the elf looked at his stomach again and said a little louder, "And you too, Percula. You seem like a fascinating individual."

“Uh… thanks?” Percula finally said, obviously puzzled. “You too?”

He was probably never going to get used to this.

Evvy then held out a hand for him to lead the way, but Caiden glanced down at the caracal rubbing against his leg. A very brief smile pulled at one side of his mouth before he reached down and gently picked up Dusk, holding him in his arms against his chest, scratching his cheek. It wasn't hard to tell he was familiar with how to handle a cat.

"This way," said Caiden, turning and heading back toward the room with the horses. He opened the door again and stopped near his supply bags, sitting on the floor to throw one of them open.

There were several supplies in this one, including a few of his potion reagents, though they were kept carefully separated from the food. The edibles included various kinds of jerky, some dried berries, and some bread, along with several flasks.

"This one's water," he said, pointing out one of the flasks. "Otherwise, just take your pick. Most of the meat is venison, by the way."

Caiden slid his arm from around Dusk, allowing the cat to get in his lap if he wanted to, while he kept petting him. But the cold he'd felt in his stomach earlier still concerned him, and he asked under his breath, "You doing alright, Percula?"

---

"I...saw him transforming the night before we told him. Just watching it was torturous, but for him to live through almost every night, completely unaware..." The Inquisitor's voice trailed off in quiet horror, but he quickly composed himself. "I may not have known him as long as you have, but if anyone deserves...or even has a chance to break such a curse, I'd say he would."

"You'd be right about that," Elektra said, her voice low - but she fell silent afterwards.

After talking extensively about ballistae, Marcus frowned when he realized that he was beginning to ramble, then admitted, "Apologies if I'm boring you. With the shocking revelations and secrets we've all been burdened with, I needed to...fall back to familiar ground. Until I can return to my sworn duties, this weapon offered the next best thing."

Elektra shrugged and said, "You're fine. I understand." She gestured generally to the sea around them and went on, "This is familiarity to me, so I'm right at home."

After a moment, she looked at him a while longer before saying, "You talk like there's more than one 'shocking revelation.' I admit I almost feel stupid for letting a werewolf come onto the ship, but it's Tom, so I agreed to it. As for the others, I barely know any of them... Is there some other huge potential danger I should know about?" she asked, arching a brow again.

Without a word, he simply started kissing her again, and again, and again, and repeatedly for a duration of time that she considered far too short. When he pulled away, laughing a quiet, nervous laugh, part of Cae wanted to slap him in the face. At what point had she given him permission to stop making her feel like she was floating in a sea of pure bliss?

"See what I mean about control?" he asked quietly, gently removing one of his hands that had started to move a little too far south under her robes, resting it on her back again. "I've, ah... the sailors keep some food stocked in the forecastle. Last time I sailed with these guys, they actually had some pretty decent stuff..."

That clumsily little attempt to get back on topic failed horribly as he removed one hand from her body to rub his stomach, where the idol lay in wait. Instantly she realized his reluctance to continue was probably due to that quite literally damned thing resting in his gut. The priestess sighed too quietly for it to be audible; now more than ever, she wished she could rip that thing out of body without hurting the knight. It was a thing of outright evil, but worse than that, it was getting between her and one of the finest men she had met in years. That was a sin.

"Wish I could just get rid of it right now," Drake said under his breath.

Lifting her hands to his head, she focused back in on his eyes. “The second we’re through the inspections in Kemhet,” she said in a reassuring tone, “I’ll help you get it out of there.”

Before Tom could reply, he was suddenly distracted by… a cat? The feline creature recovered earlier with the elf had managed to sneak up on them, pawing at Caecilla’s wing while she was distracted with Tom. What’s more, a guttural growl from Drake sent it scurrying away--back to its owner, who seemed to be watching them. The color flushed out of the priestess’ face as the pointy-eared woman apologized, made some comment about the two of them being cute, and exited stage the hell out of this room. Details were rather lost on Cae, as she was mainly focused on how some stranger had just seen her in a terribly sensitive position.

Several sensitive positions, really.

"Well... that was different," Tom muttered to her after a moment.

Caught off her footing, it took Caecillia a moment to gather her thoughts. Once she was a bit more mentally well-assembled, her first action was to pull her hands back, then quickly swat the back of one across the side of Tom’s face. With her miniscule muscles, it was not a hard impact; any pain would’ve come more from the shock.

Cae's words about getting the idol out of him kept coming back to Drake's mind. Kemhet? Gods, that'd take forever. Where were they now? They'd just left Killedam.

He was going to go insane...

Once Evvy and her cat had left, there was a pause or two while Cae apparently gathered her thoughts again. And then Tom's attention came back to the present as she removed her hands from him, which he looked rather sad over. Only for one of her hands to suddenly smack the side of his face.

Tom blinked, freezing in shock. His face stung a little, and he reached up with his other hand to rub his cheek briefly, too surprised to speak.

With that as the explanation, Drake couldn't help but break into a grin. He slid his arms around her again, one of them slipping under her robes as he ran it around her waist. Cae could almost certainly tell just how hot and bothered he was. Drake almost wanted to try and stop before he ended up losing control and letting the idol cause her more pain, but he just couldn't pull himself away.

"Should I resume?" he teased, his nose brushing against hers. "I don't want this thing in me to hurt you even more, but I'm not gonna pretend you aren't driving me crazy..."

Evvy just smiled, forgetful that the pixie could not hear her. She was more distracted by how well Dusk was taking to Caiden, and the other way round as well, judging by how he lifted the large cat and held him against his chest. Dusk did very much like to be carried, and leaned hard into the scritches he was getting, purring loudly as Caiden led the way to where he kept his food.

He opened a bag filled with an assortment of foodstuffs. Evvy saw quite a few things that looked appetizing, and her interest quickly went to the berries.

"This one's water," he said, pointing out one of the many flasks also in the bag. "Otherwise, just take your pick. Most of the meat is venison, by the way."

Evvy immediately grabbed the water flask and took a few long, greedy swallows before realizing she was almost halfway through it. "Oh, sorry," she said, ashamed, "I guess I was a lot thirstier than I realized... Probably a bit dehydrated, really."

She popped a small handful of dried berries in her mouth, and went about tearing some tiny bites off a hunk of jerky, and feeding them to Dusk, who was quite content to lay in Caiden's lap and purr loudly while being pet some more. Occasionally the caracal would rub his chin on the man, marking the Venator as his own.

"Never usually see him take to people so fast," Evvy commented around the mouthful of berries, "You must be special..."

Suddenly, the stomach tipped over. Percula yelped as she was pushed up against the wall she’d been standing by, gravity causing her to struggle not to slide in the direction that had formerly been ‘up’. She was pretty sure that a fall from the top of Caiden’s gut to the bottom wouldn’t hurt much, if at all, but the less time she spent airborne in there, the better. Fortunately, after only a few moments of scrambling not to slip and slide around, Voros righted himself, sending Percula stumbling onto her rear end in the middle of his stomach.

It took her a moment to realize there was a new, constant sound, now. Some kind of muffled… purring?

"This way," Caiden finally said, turning. She could feel that much, and the fact that he started walking. "This one's water," he added, after stopping for a few moments. "Otherwise, just take your pick. Most of the meat is venison, by the way."

He shifted a little more while Evvy offered some comments, though they were far too muffled for the pixie to hear them with any amount of clarity, and the purring lowered until it was closer to Percula’s height. "You doing alright, Percula?"

“Uh… yeah. I’m fine.” Percula said, glancing up more-or-less at his head. “Uh… what’ve you got in your lap, though? It’s purring up a storm.” She finished with an uncertain chuckle. I don’t like felines.

Caiden didn't comment as Evvy almost drained the entire flask of water. "Oh, sorry," she said, ashamed, "I guess I was a lot thirstier than I realized... Probably a bit dehydrated, really."

"It's fine," the Venator replied dismissively. "I'm sure Eddy and his crew keep plenty of fresh water on board, so I'll refill it later."

While Evvy started to eat, Caiden heard Percula say, “Uh… yeah. I’m fine. Uh… what’ve you got in your lap, though? It’s purring up a storm.” She finished with an uncertain chuckle.

"It's Evvy's cat," Caiden replied, rubbing the very happy Dusk under his chin before he resumed stroking his fur.

"Never usually see him take to people so fast," Evvy commented around the mouthful of berries, "You must be special..."

With a snort, Caiden said, "I'm nothing special." He scratched Dusk behind his ear. "My little sister had a cat, that's all. He spent a lot of time lounging around in my lap." From his tone, it was apparent he had more than a little fondness for the animal.

After a moment he said, "Never seen a cat that looks quite like this one, though. What's his name?"

He continued to please Dusk immensely with a never ending supply of pets and scratches, intuitively finding all the cat's favorite spots. Evvy was impressed, even if she didn't show it.

With a snort, Caiden said, "I'm nothing special." He scratched Dusk behind his ear. "My little sister had a cat, that's all. He spent a lot of time lounging around in my lap." From his tone, it was apparent he had more than a little fondness for the animal.

After a moment he said, "Never seen a cat that looks quite like this one, though. What's his name?"

"His name is Dusk, although he is often adressed with expeltives in it's place," she scooted closer to Caiden and reached over to pet Dusk some as well, "Mostly because he is a mischievous little beast, always getting in the way and trying to help in the most destrucive ways. Don't let him near your kit, or he'll steal anything shiny..."

She made sure to give him a serious look, to let him know that advice was very real, and not to underestimate the feline.

"Also, he's actually a caracal, hence why he's so big with those pointy ears." Evvy explained, holding her hands up in immitation of Dusk's ears, "Found him abandoned as a wee baby, nursed him back tk health, and he hasn't left me alone since. He's pretty tame, though, and is always fairly gentle with people. He's quite good at catching and eating bugs and vermin, too, so our voyage might be pest free..."

Then she realized she still had no idea precisely where she was or where this boat was going.

"It's Evvy's cat," Caiden replied, rubbing the very happy Dusk under his chin before he resumed stroking his fur.

Dammit.

After some more muffled words from Evvy, Caiden said, "I'm nothing special." He scratched Dusk behind his ear. "My little sister had a cat, that's all. He spent a lot of time lounging around in my lap." From his tone, it was apparent he had more than a little fondness for the animal.

Double dammit.

After a moment he said, "Never seen a cat that looks quite like this one, though. What's his name?"

Evvy’s voice grew louder as she presumably scooted closer to Caiden and reached over to pet Dusk some as well, "Mostly because he is a mischievous little beast, always getting in the way and trying to help in the most destructive ways. Don't let him near your kit, or he'll steal anything shiny..."

“HE WHAT?!” Percula demanded, hearing that last bit very clearly. It was difficult to tell whether the pixie was more mad or more frightened, though, given the large quantities of both emotions in her voice, and her… location. “Keep that thing AWAY from me!”

"His name is Dusk, although he is often adressed with expeltives in it's place," she scooted closer to Caiden and reached over to pet Dusk some as well, "Mostly because he is a mischievous little beast, always getting in the way and trying to help in the most destrucive ways. Don't let him near your kit, or he'll steal anything shiny..."

Caiden made note of her words and the look she gave him. He arched a brow and reached over to close his bags up again before he resumed petting the cat in his lap. "I'd hate for him to get his paws on any silver... if he even took an interest. Most of it is tarnished."

"Also, he's actually a caracal, hence why he's so big with those pointy ears." Evvy explained, holding her hands up in immitation of Dusk's ears, "Found him abandoned as a wee baby, nursed him back to health, and he hasn't left me alone since. He's pretty tame, though, and is always fairly gentle with people. He's quite good at catching and eating bugs and vermin, too, so our voyage might be pest free..."

Although he didn't comment on the whole 'catching and eating bugs' thing, he couldn't help but think of Percula with her very tickling bug wings which, thankfully, he hadn't particularly felt lately. Maybe Dusk being on the prowl was yet another good reason for her to be in there. He felt an odd surge of protectiveness, and then he immediately wondered at how ridiculous that was and tried to fight it down.

Caiden flinched at the volume and her tone. "You're fine," he said. "He isn't exactly going to get you in there. And like I said, you can stay in there however long you want." He paused. "Or - not. Up to you."

He glanced at Evvy self-consciously before, thankfully, she asked another question.

"So, uh... What is our destination, anyways?"

"Kemhet, actually," said Caiden. "It's going to be a long voyage. We've got some traveling to do once we get there, too, but I'm sure we'll find a good port city to stop in. You might even get Eddy to take you back up north somewhere, if that's where you want to go." He glanced at her. "I'm not sure what elves think of the desert... although I'm not sure what I think of it, either, but I've got a job to do, so I'll make myself like it either way."